Hand JHand KWith Hand
J you are dealer at favourable vulnerability. What do you open?

♠ KQJ10953♠ Q96

♥
Q98♥
J953With
Hand K partner opens 1♦ and you bid 1♥. Partner then

♦ 8♦ 65 jumps to 3♦, what do
you do?

♣ K5♣ K982

♠ 103Leading
Quiz. With this Hand LRHO has opened 1NT
and LHO bid 3NT.

♥ 986(a)What do you lead?

♦
10982(b)What do you lead if partner had doubled?

♣ QJ73(c)What do you lead if partner makes a long pause
and eventually passes?

Bidding Sequences Quiz

M1♣p1♦1♥what
is dbl?

dbl

N1♣p1♦1♠what
is dbl?

dbl

P1♣1♥1♠pis
1♠ forcing?

Q1NTp3NTdblwhat
is dbl?

There is no interference in the following sequences: -

R1♦ - 1♠ - 3♦is
3♦ forcing?

S1♦ - 1♠ - 4♠is 4♠ strong or shut-out?

Hanging
Partner – part 1Board 28 from Monday 3rd

I’ve
mentioned this a few times recently, but is appears that some players are
determined to get poor scores whatever: -

Dealer:♠ KJ64

West♥
Q95WestNorthEastSouth

N-S vul♦ J6passpass1♥1♠(1)

♣ J9852♥2♠passpass(2)

3♥(3)3♠(4)dbl(5)all pass

♠ 105N♠ AQ

♥ K1062WE♥ AJ743

♦843S♦ 72

♣ A763♣ Q1042

♠ 87632

♥ 8

♦ AKQ1095

♣ K

(1)I prefer 2♦ or else
double.

(2)With this shape it’s maybe
worth a game try.

(3)West has 4 ♥’s, so ‘The
Law’ says to compete.

(4)And North correctly bid for
exactly the same reason.

(5)But this really is silly.
Partner has pushed them up – he is showing no more values than he did last go
(just more ♥’s) and so it’s more likely that a ♠ contract is making.

And what happened?

-3♠ doubled +1 is 930 and
a cool top for N-S.

The bottom lines: -

-When partner makes a balancing
bid he is not showing more values.

Hanging
Partner – part 2Board 17 from Monday 3rd

Seems some people are determined to bid on after their partner has
balanced. The typical excuse is ‘but I had 11 points’. How many times does it
need to be said? – Partner is bidding your points when he balances! Here’s yet
another example: -

Dealer:♠ A87

North♥
96WestNorthEastSouth

Love all♦ Q9-1♣pass(1)1♥

♣ AQ8652pass(2)2♣passpass

2♦(3)3♣(4)3♦(5)all
pass

♠ K96N♠ Q1042

♥ 32WE♥ AQ74

♦A8543S♦ K106

♣ K104♣ 73

♠ J53

♥ KJ1085

♦ J72

♣ J9

(1)Looks like a classic double to
me.

(2)It would be very unwise to bid
here in the ‘sandwich’ seat.

(3)But now there’s no problem. The
opposition have stopped bidding and so partner has points.

(4)Bidding his hand 3 times, but
East can do better (I mean worser).

(5)West’s balancing bid has pushed
the opponents too high. But unfortunately East had to announce that he had the
points that West already knew that he had.

And what happened?

-3♦ was one down. 3♣ would have
gone one or two down for a complete top to E-W.

The bottom lines: -

-I guess that if you play with a
partner who does not understand balancing then you will get bad scores
whatever. You can leave the opponents in a comfortable contract or else you can
push them up (in the balancing seat) only to hear partner bid on and get
clobbered.

A 4♥ opener,
but what if you play Namyats?South hand 14
from Monday 3rd

♠ -I was
asked the best opening with this hand. Obviously 4♥.

♥
Q10876542But
what if you play Namyats? A Namyats 4♣ bid should be around 8½

♦ 109playing
tricks and this hand is not quite good enough. 4♥ is correct in my

♣ AK9opinion.

Negative
double – or you’re fixed!Board 11 from Monday
3rd

Dealer:♠ Q10Table
A

South♥
AJ107WestNorthEast(A)South

Love All♦ AQJ107---pass

♣ 721♥2♦(1)pass(2)pass

dbl(3)passpass(4)pass

♠ J974N♠ A532

♥ KQ843WE♥ 9‘Expert’
Table

♦4S♦
9863WestNorthEastSouth

♣ AK4♣ QJ65---pass

♠ K861♥2♦dbl(1)pass

♥ 6522♠(5)passpass3♦(6)

♦ K523♠(7)all pass

♣ 10983

Table A:(1)With these great ♥ stops and good
intermediates, 1NT looks right to me.

(2)What did you bid with this
East hand A in this week’s quiz? It’s not good enough for a two-level bid, but
a negative double is perfect. I play this here as promising 4 ♠’s and 6+ points.

(3)West assumed that East knew
about negative doubles and obviously re-opened with the ‘automatic’ re-opening
double.

(4)But despite the fact that negative doubles appear in just about
every news-sheet, this East obviously did not understand them. Of course he is
fixed now having not made the negative double last time, but ♦xxxx and 7 points is nowhere near good enough for a pass.

‘Expert’(1)A classic negative double.

Table:(5)And now the 4-4 ♠ fit is easily located.

(6)It’s one above the Law,
but 1 down should be a good score against 2♠ making.

(7)With great shape and a
known 4-4 fit, 3♠ is probably making.

And what happened?

Nobody (!) out of 7 tables found the 4-4 ♠ fit, there are 9 tricks available in ♠’s.

-I note that three North’s
played in 2♦ - are there really four East’s who don’t
play (or understand) negative doubles?

-And are there also three West’s
who do not know about re-opening doubles?

The bottom lines: -

-Negative doubles are a really
important part of bidding.

-If you fail to make a
negative double when you should have, you will be totally fixed over partner’s
re-opening double.

A 2NT
opener?South hand 1 from Wednesday 3rd

♠ AQ8I was asked if
19 points is good enough to open 2NT. Not usually, but with

♥
AK1032a
good 5 card suit it is. If this 5-carder was a minor I would open 2NT in a
shot.

♦ A102With a major
like this it’s also fine but I would feel happier if playing Puppet

♣ Q3Stayman (or
Niemeijmer) over 2NT.

A long pause
and pass fixes partner!Board 9 from Wednesday
5th

Dealer:♠ Q95

North♥
KQJWest(D)NorthEast(L)South

E-W vul♦ J764-1NT(1)pass3NT

♣ K105pass(2)all
pass

♠ AKJ742N♠ 103

♥ 10753WE♥ 986Before
we discuss the bidding, what was your

♦A3S♦
10982answer
to this week’s lead problem from this

♣ 8♣ QJ73East
hand L?

♠ 86

♥ A42

♦ KQ5

♣ A9642

(1)Playing a weak NT, so
12-14.

(2)What did you do with this
West hand D in this week’s quiz? At this vulnerability bidding 4♠ would be
suicide, but there are two reasonable options: (1) you can pass and hope that
partner finds a ♠ lead (quite likely with a sensible partner as he cannot have any
points and should ‘look for your suit’). (2) You could double – asking partner
to lead his shortest suit (which hopefully will be spades). An unreasonable
action is to think for about one minute or more and then pass. This is passing
unauthorised information to partner and if he then leads a ♠ there will
be an immediate director call.

And what happened?

-I was East and would have led
the ♠10. But after partner’s pause I considered that I was now unable to
do that so I led the ♦10 and the contract made +1 when it would have gone -3 on the ♠10 lead.

-I later discussed the hand with
Alan, Chuck and Paul K. They all agreed that ♠10 was the best lead
but that it was not ethical to lead it after the long pause, and they agreed
that had I led the ♠10 then N-S would be entitled to an adjusted score; I totally agree.

The bottom lines: -

-How many times have I said it?
If you pause for a long time and then pass you are passing unauthorised
information to partner.

-It’s usually best to bid if you
have paused for a long time, it takes the pressure off partner.

-In this particular situation
West should have doubled having paused. This is a conventional double saying
that you have a long suit and want partner to lead it.

-If it looks like partner might
possibly have taken advantage of the information from your pause, you will
get an adjusted (unfavourable) score.

-Partner’s actions must be very
clear-cut after you pause and then pass, and leading the ♠10 here,
although best, is not clear-cut.

A 3♠ opener?North hand 25 from Friday 3rd

♠ KQJ10953I was asked about
the 3♠ opening that one player made with this North hand J

♥
Q98as
dealer with E-W vul. I think it’s far too good. But a 3♠ opening is
not illegal

♦ 8or a
psyche with this hand (it’s just a very poor bid). I would open 1♠ and the

♣ K5only other sensible
bid in my opinion is 4♠.

Too good for
a weak two?Board 4 from Wednesday 3rd

Dealer:♠ J632Table
A

West♥
K65West(C)NorthEastSouth

Both vul♦ 1092♥(1)pass2NT(2)pass

♣ K9543♥(3)passpass(4)pass

♠ QN♠ K875

♥ AQ8743W E♥ JTable
B

♦J65S♦ AK874West(C)NorthEast(F)South

♣ Q76♣ AJ21♥(1)pass2♦(5)pass

♠ A10942♥pass2♠(6)pass

♥ 10923♦(7)pass3NTall
pass

♦ Q32

♣ 1083

Table A:(1)What did you open with this West hand C in
this week’s quiz? I guess that the ♠Q is not worth two points, but I still
prefer Table B’s auction.

Table B:(1)I think that this is worth a 1♥ opener,
but then I play weak twos as 6-9. Anyway, if you count the ♠Q as two
points it conforms with the rule of 20.

(5)What did you respond with this East hand F in
this week’s quiz? With game forcing values it’s best to bid the 5 card minor
first and then reverse into the major next go (showing your shape and game
forcing).

(6)Showing the shape and game
forcing.

(5)3♣ (4th suit
asking for a ♣ stop) is a sound alternative.

And what happened?

3NT made on the nail. Only 3 pairs out of seven reached game.

The bottom lines: -

-I suppose it depends on your
range, but 11 points is too much for a weak two in my style.

-Play Ogust.

-If partner give a maximum point
response to Ogust, then bid game?

-6 points in the suit should be
a ‘good suit’ response to Ogust.

And an
‘incidentally’. In my style I do not have a ‘gap’ between my 1♥/♠
and 2♥/♠ opening. With a 6 card suit that’s not strong enough to open 1♥/♠ I will
always open 2♥/♠ (unless the hand contains 4 cards in the other major of course,
when I can pass).

An easy slam
missed by mostBoard 6 from Wednesday 5th

Dealer:♠ 65

East♥
6WestNorthEastSouth

E-W vul♦ Q874--1♠(1)3♥(2)

♣ QJ97423NT(3)pass4♣(4)pass

4♥(5)pass6♠(6)all
pass

♠ Q4N♠ AKJ109832

♥ Q752WE♥ 3

♦AKJ106S♦
9

♣ 108♣ AK6

♠ 7

♥ AKJ10984

♦ 532

♣ 53

(1)The ‘modern’ style is to
open 2♣ with a hand like this, and this one has close to enough high card
points for me not to argue too much. But I still prefer to bid naturally!

(2)With a suit this good and
especially at this vulnerability I would try 4♥.

(3)I agree with this bid, I think
it’s better than 4♦.

(4)E-W had no agreement here, and
in theory 4♣ is natural but West assumed that East would take it as Gerber
(quite a sensible treatment).

(5)One ace.

(6)That should be enough.

And what happened? Only two pairs out of seven reached the cold 6♠ slam.

The bottom lines: -

-‘Theory’ says that after a
natural 3NT bid, then 4♣ is natural and 4NT quantitative; with 5♣ as Gerber. I’m not so
sure that this is always the best treatment and 4♣ as Gerber in this particular
sequence seems sensible to me.

‘Don’t
splinter with a singleton ace’ – so what should one do?

Board 16 from Wednesday 5th

Dealer:♠ 63

West♥
KQ85West(B)NorthEastSouth

E-W vul♦ 875321♥pass1♠pass

♣ 523♦(1)pass3NTpass

4♣(2)pass4♥pass

♠ KQ82N♠ A10975♠(3)passpass(4)pass

♥ A10942WE♥ 3

♦KQ9S♦ J106

♣ A♣ Q9763

♠ J54

♥ J76

♦ A4

♣ KJ1084

(1)What did you bid with this
West hand B in this week’s quiz? Neither 2♠ nor 3♠ are
forcing so they are out. A 4♣ splinter would be correct if it was not the ace (one should not splinter
with a singleton ace). So West went had a think and finally manufactured a 3♦ bid. Now
this is (game) forcing but unfortunately it does not show the great ♠ support.
The correct bid here is 4♠ - this shows 4 card ♠ support, around 18-19 points and a hand
that was not suitable for a splinter. Contrary to some people’s belief 4♠ here is
not shut-out and partner is invited to bid on with a good hand.

(2)As with the previous deal, 4♣ was Gerber
here.

(3)But now West was in a real
quandary, having not shown the ♠ support.

(4)East did not know exactly what
was going on, and with little more than a minimum and a mis-fit for partner’s ♥ suit he
wisely passed.

And what happened? 5♠ squeaked home exactly for a good score. Declarer would have felt
much happier in 4♠!

The bottom lines: -

-Sequence S (1♣ - 1♠ - 4♠) shows a
big hand.

-Contrary to some people’s
belief, raising partner’s 1♥/♠ opening to 2♥/♠ is more encouraging than biding 1NT. Although they show the same
point range, supporting partner shows support (of course) and is thus more
encouraging. 1NT is often a ‘courtesy bid’ with little support but scattered
values.

-So, support with support –
especially if maximum.

Pass out or try for game?Board 14 from Friday 7th

There
were a number of different evaluations of this South hand on Friday: -

Dealer:♠ 1062Table
A

East♥
A63WestNorthEastSouth(H)

Love all♦ 932--passpass(1)

♣ AQ54passpass

♠ 74N♠ AQ3Table
B

♥ QJ98WE♥ 10752WestNorth(E)EastSouth(H)

♦A10875S♦
KQ64--pass1♠(1)

♣ 32♣ 86pass2♠(2)passpass(3)

♠ KJ985dbl(4)pass3♦(5)4♣(6)

♥ K4pass4♠all pass

♦ J

♣ KJ1097Table C

WestNorth(E)EastSouth(H)

--pass1♠(1)

pass2♠(2)pass3♣(3)

pass3NT(7)pass4♠ all pass

Table A:(1)Did you
open with this South hand H(a) in this week’s quiz? I think it’s easily worth
an opener. The ♦J is a ‘wasted’ point but two 5 card suits with excellent
intermediates are great. Opinion is divided as to which suit to open with 5-5
in the black suits: Some prefer to open 1♣ and then bid ♠’s twice if
necessary (and strong enough); others prefer to open 1♠ and see what happens.
I generally prefer this 2nd approach – especially if you agree that
a 3♣ bid over a two level response does not show extras (as when you
play 2/1).

Table B:(1)This South correctly opened and chose 1♠, as would
I.

(2)What did you respond with this
North hand E in this week’s quiz? With just 3 smallish trumps 1NT is not
totally unreasonable, but I certainly prefer 2♠. A flat 10 count is not
good enough for more (say 2NT or 2♣ or whatever)

(3)What did you bid with this
South hand H(b) in this week’s quiz? I think the hand is worth an effort and I prefer
the bid chosen at Table C.

(4)Not unreasonably, South came in
with a protective (balancing) double.

(5)I would bid the major (so 3♥) in this
situation.

(6)But now South woke up and
decided that his hand was worth a bid at the 4 level!

Table C:(3)We don’t need any made-up experts this week as
Kees got this spot on. The hand has improved when partner supports ♠’s (one
good reason why 2♠ by North was the best bid) and a 3♣ game try is easily
the best bid.

(7)4♠ looks right to me,
but with 3 small trumps I guess 3NT is OK.

And what happened? 4♠ was bid 3 times and usually made +1.

The bottom lines:

-5-5 shape is big,
especially with ♠’s.

Partscore or
slam?Board 4 from Friday 7th

Dealer:♠ K107642Table
A

West♥
K52West(G)NorthEastSouth

Both vul♦ Q82♣(1)pass2♥pass

♣ Q53♦pass4♣(2)pass

5♣(3)pass5♦pass

♠ QJ9N♠ 836♦all pass

♥ -WE♥ AJ43

♦AK9542S♦
J1073Table
B

♣ AK42♣ 763West(G)NorthEastSouth

♠ A51♦(1)2♠3♦(4)pass

♥ Q1098765♦(5)all
pass

♦ 6

♣ J1098

Table A:(1)What didyou open with this West hand G(a) in this week’s quiz? I don’t like
opening 2♣ with two-suiters and I don’t think it’s strong enough anyway.

(2)I believe that East meant this
as an ace ask. I would not take charge here and would bid 4♦. But
you’re past the best spot (3NT) but that’s because of West’s unwise opening.

(3)West thought 4♣ was
natural.

Table B:(1)This West correctly opened 1♦.

(4)What would you bid with this
East hand? A negative double would show 4 ♥’s but it really shows
a few more points (I would say about 9+ over a 2♠ overcall). But
sometimes you are stuck and I would not argue with double (the ♦ support
improves the hand) but this 3♦ bid chosen is probably best.

(5)But I will argue with this
– you all know my feeling about 5♣/♦ contracts – don’t bid
them unless 3NT is ruled out. What did you bid with this West hand G(b) in this
week’s quiz? Now I don’t expect many to agree with me, but I would bid 3NT. You
are pretty sure of 8 tricks and may well get a 9th from ♠’s. And
what about the ♥’s? Who knows – partner has shown some values and the opponents have
bid ♠’s so partner surely (hopefully) has a ♥ stop.

And what happened? 5♦
should go down, 3NT makes easily, probably with an
overtrick

The bottom lines.

-Same as every week – don’t bid
5♣/♦ if 3NT is a viable option.

-9 tricks are usually easier
than 11.

Too high –
who’s fault?Board 17 from Friday 7th

Dealer:♠ Q96

West♥
J953WestNorth(K)EastSouth(F)

E-W vul♦ 65-passpass1♦(1)

♣ K982pass1♥pass3♦(2)

pass3NT(3)all
pass

♠ J1072N♠ A853

♥ K8WE♥ A1042

♦9742S♦ Q8

♣ A103♣ J76

♠ K4

♥ Q76

♦ AKJ103

♣ Q54

(1)What did you open with
this South hand F(a) in this week’s quiz? 1NT really is a much better bid and
avoids rebid problems.

(2)And what did you rebid
with hand F(b). The problem is that it may be a bit too good for 2♦ but it
certainly is not good enough for 3♦ (in my opinion). And both of these bids
imply a more shapely hand with usually 6 ♦’s. That’s why I would
open 1NT – open 1NT and you never have a rebid problem!

(3)What did you bid with this
North hand K in this week’s quiz? This North (incorrectly) thought that 3♦ was
forcing. This North hand is a minimum with lousy ♦’s and I would pass.

And what happened? 3NT was two down. Two pairs stopped nicely in 1NT.

The bottom line:

-Same as every week – with a
balanced hand within your 1NT range, open 1NT.

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A:Dbl. Showing 4 ♠’s and 6+ points.

Hand
B:4♠. This shows about 18-19 and 4 card ♠ support.

Hand
C:(a)1♥.
It’s a trifle too strong for 2♥ for me, but I won’t
argue if you chose 2♥ as 1st
seat vulnerable should be a decent hand.

(b)3♠. Good hand and good suit.

Hand D:Dbl. This asks partner to lead his shortest
suit. The other very good alternative is to pass, you know partner is virtually
bust so he will probably try to find your suit. To bid (4♠) is suicide at this vulnerability. And one
thing that is nearly as bad is to pause for a long time and then pass as that
probably prohibits partner from leading a ♠
that he may well have done without the pause.

Hand E:2♠.
This totally flat hand is not worth more, but it’s max and 2♠ is more encouraging than 1NT.

Hand F:(a)1NT.
Saves any rebid problem.

(b)2♦.
Not nice (you should have opened 1NT) but the hand is not good enough for 3♦.

Hand G:(a)1♦. It’s not strong enough for 2♣,

(b)3NT. You have the ♠’s stopped and you can see 8 tricks. Nobody has
mentioned ♥’s and partner surely has something there. I
simply cannot understand why people continually leap off to 5♣/♦
in these sort of situations – 9 tricks are virtually always easier than 11.

Hand H:(a) 1♠.
1♣ is an alternative if that’s your style, but
the point is that the hand is well worth an opening bid.

(b)3♣.
A help-suit game try. The hand is worth a try for game after partner has
supported ♠’s.

Hand J:1♠. 4♠ is also reasonable. It’s far too good for 3♠.

Hand K:Pass. A lousy hand with lousy ♦’s.

Leading
Quiz Answer, Hand L.

(a)♠10. You have no suit so try to find partner’s. ♦10 is the next best choice.

(b)♠10. Partner want you to lead her suit, which is
normally your shortest.

(c)♦10. Partner’s long pause inhibits you from
leading from shortage. The ♣Q is dangerous.

Bidding Sequences Quiz Answers

M1♣p1♦1♥what
is dbl? Penalties. This is not similar to the sequence below

dblas
opener can bid 1♠ if he has ♠’s.

N1♣p1♦1♠what
is dbl? This is best played as similar to a negative double –

dblshowing
4 ♥’s. Thus you cannot show a penalty double of ♠’s (and presumably
have to bid NT). This ‘problem’ is overcome if you play Walsh and then dbl here
would be penalties.

P1♣1♥1♠pis
1♠ forcing? Yes.

Q1NTp3NTdblwhat
is dbl? Asking partner to lead his shortest suit (i.e. your good long suit).

R1♦ - 1♠ - 3♦is 3♦ forcing? No

S1♦ - 1♠ - 4♠is 4♠ strong or shut-out?
Strong, around 18-19 points with no shortage. Responder is invited to bid on
with a good hand.